# Do You Eat Expired Food?



## Johnnie (Apr 27, 2010)

For certain items I am very particular about the expiration date. Like my "milk", my partner's yogurt, the processed/boxed foods, the list drags on BUT if I don't see any mold or weird textures to my bread I may still eat it.

What about you?


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## Karren (Apr 27, 2010)

If its close... And looks ok but after going through the MIL cupbord and finding stuff out of date by years!! Ekkkkk. We threw all that away..


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## Johnnie (Apr 27, 2010)

Originally Posted by *Karren* /img/forum/go_quote.gif If its close... And looks ok but after going through the MIL cupbord and finding stuff out of date by years!! Ekkkkk. We threw all that away.. It's funny you say that because my mil and my grandma are the same way. Eww!


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## Karren (Apr 27, 2010)

Its the short term memory loss! They go to the store without a list and can't remember what they needed so they buy the same thing over and over. Lol. My mother once had 9 open jars of olives in her fridge!


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## magosienne (Apr 27, 2010)

If it's not opened and not too far past, yes, especially for canned food.For the yogurts, up until two days after.

For the rest, i toss if i'm not sure, especially milk, cream, homemade milk based desert like creams, custard. Everything we cooked and hasn't been eaten is stored in a tupperware or protected with cling film.


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## StakeEdward (Apr 27, 2010)

Almost never...even though milk says "sell by" rather than "best by," its sell by date tends to be when it starts to smell strange.


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## MakeupByMe (Apr 27, 2010)

never!!!!! even if its a day or 2 b4 it expires i throw it out I just get so grossed out I cant eat or drink anything thats expired or close to being expired!!!

My grandmas or my step dad if a block of cheese or a loaf of bread has a bit of mold growing they just cut that part off and eat the rest...............so gross!!!lol


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## xjackie83 (Apr 27, 2010)

I'm going to be the odd one out! For milk, it's suppose to last for a week after it's sell by date. I just smell it and if it looks fine, I'll eat it.

One time there was a great sale going on for eggs so I bought 3 dozen and then my roommate (not knowing I bought some) came home with 3 dozen. So we had 6 dozen eggs. I researched online how to tell when eggs went bad. We ended up using them all. They were fine even 1.5 months after the sell by date.


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## Aprill (Apr 27, 2010)

Depends. If it dosent smell funny, taste funny, look funny..Aprill's gonna eat it!


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## Johnnie (Apr 27, 2010)

LOL everyone! It's so funny how the older folks still eat the molded breads.


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## Abbygalll (Apr 27, 2010)

My boyfriend is so particular about expiration dates... he will throw stuff out the day it expires no matter what, it seems. Ugh...

I've always felt that "best by" date means it will be better if you eat it by then... it isn't really bad at that point. Lol, if it doesn't smell funny or have nasty crap growing on it, I will likely eat it.


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## Ricci (Apr 27, 2010)

No way.. unless I dont know about it


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## emily_3383 (Apr 27, 2010)

Yeah if it doesnt look, smell or taste funny then i will eat it. I wouldnt eat stuff months old though.


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## reesesilverstar (Apr 28, 2010)

I know the old ones in my family would cut off the mold on cheese and stuff. I throw away anything that smells or looks funny. Canned stuff I would eat a week past expiration unless it looks frothy.


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## divadoll (May 4, 2010)

Those dates are merely guidelines. It all depends on how you treat the products once you get it home or how you get it home. Milk temporarily stored in a hot car before making it to the counter, then the fridge will spoil faster than their sell by date. Milk left unopened and kept in the fridge its entire shelf like with a 5 minute drive home in an AC cooled car or in the winter will last weeks after expiry date. Cheese of course, if stored properly in an airtight vacuum sealed plastic like those food saves will last months after expiry without mold. It is after all already aged and any further again is not a bad thing. Bread stored in the freezer doesn't go stale. It will have freezer burn after a few months. Those green bags that absorb gases from veggies will make your veggies last weeks longer than no bag or those supplied at the grocery store. Yogurt can be frozen. as well as sour cream and butter. Meat sealed in a food saver - vacuum sealed, airtight bag will last 2 years in the freezer and if the vacuum is not compromised, it wont get freezer burn for up to 3 years. When bananas go brown, throw them in the freezer to make banana bread or smoothies.

With all this being said, would you use expired toothpaste? That also has an expiry date...


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## me0wmix (Mar 23, 2011)

I'm very picky when it comes to certain foods and expiration. In order to make my bread last, I keep it frozen, and take out what I want on an as-needed basis, to avoid any mold at all. If it is out already, I might eat it after a thorough inspection.

With meat, I will not eat it past the date, only if its been frozen.

With milk, If it smells "off" to me I wont drink it.

If I dont know for sure about eggs, I will play it safe and not eat them either. I got food poisioning from eggs once, scarred me for life.


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## vicky1804 (May 7, 2011)

I realised last week I was using milk 6 days past its date but it was still fine. I scrape mold off cheese if it isnt too bad and pick little bits of mold off bread. Iv never been ill from doing this.

Im like others, if its doesn smell, look or feel funny its grub lol

I think far too much is thrown out these days and since we are short on money for the last 12 months I want to get the most out of the things i buy.


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## gennett21 (May 7, 2011)

Unless it is something that comes out of my freezer, no. A lot of people will drink milk seven days after it expires, lol, I will not. If the expiration date is for today the day before will be my last day of using it. I am just funny style like that.


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## Bonnie Krupa (May 7, 2011)

If it smells funny or looks different I definitely won't touch it. If it's leftovers I won't eat it after a few days of sitting in the fridge.  I thoroughly inspect my food regardless because I've accidentally eaten/drank moldy bread, soup that had bugs in it, spoiled chunky milk, apple juice that had vinegarized and probably a few other things I am forgetting.  This was years ago but it has scarred me lol!


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## janetgriselle (May 8, 2011)

> Originally Posted by *MakeupByMe* /img/forum/go_quote.gif
> never!!!!! even if its a day or 2 b4 it expires i throw it out I just get so grossed out I cant eat or drink anything thats expired or close to being expired!!!
> 
> My grandmas or my step dad if a block of cheese or a loaf of bread has a bit of mold growing they just cut that part off and eat the rest...............so gross!!!lol



Maybe there's some kind of connection haha, because I can't eat or drink anything that's expired either and my parents do the exact same thing, they cut off the mold and eat the rest. eating anything expired just grosses me out &gt;.&lt;


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## divadoll (May 8, 2011)

Generally, cheese and mold go together.  Brie has its own mold crust on its rind and supposed to be that way.  I don't eat moldy bread tho, it smells moldy as well.  Expiry dates are for the stores...they are sell-by dates and not when they are bad.   Products can go bad way before the stamped date if they are improperly stored.


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## Mrs Gaeul (Jan 14, 2012)

I usually store my items pretty well, so I give most items a week after the best by date before I toss it. I always check the items before I cook it though, to make sure nothing weird is happening or if it smells funny. 

My milk ALWAYS lasts a week or more after the best buy date, and doesn't change smell or taste! It is Oberweis. Yum!


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## ladygrey (Jan 15, 2012)

If it looks ok and smells ok, I'll eat it!


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## hahaurbleeding (Jan 24, 2012)

I am really funny about my milk so I always throw it out the day after the expo date.  Once I ate yogurt that was a month expired but didn't realize it until after I ate it all.... so I looked it up and you can actually eat it up to a month and 1/2 after the expo date as long as there is no discoloration or lumps... I thought that was kinda interesting that it can last a while longer than what is listed.


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## caocoffee (Jun 14, 2012)

I don't like eating expired food, as I think that kind of food is more or less bad for health and bad in taste. So i prefer throwing it away and keep confident in health.


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## Dalylah (Jun 27, 2012)

If it smells ok, has no mold and is only a few days past due, sure I do. If it is really old, stinky or odd looking in any way then no.


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## ariaswan (Aug 3, 2013)

The expiration date that seems on packaged food is confusing to a lot of people, largely due to the phrases used, such as â€œBest Before,â€ â€œSell Byâ€ or â€œUse By.â€ Is food still safe to consume on that date, or slightly after that date? Let's consider saving money by comprehending what that expiration date indicates.


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## Ms-Jelena (Aug 17, 2013)

I don't - unless someone serves me something that's expired and I don't know about it. Willingly, I wouldn't do it, because I don't want to risk my health and well-being for no good reason.


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## Jac13 (Aug 18, 2013)

No I usually throw it out. It always saddens me when it's several boxes.


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## Christa W (Aug 27, 2013)

Expiration is a guideline in our house.  I check everything before I consume it (make sure no moths have nested in the cake mix from 2005) but absolutely.


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## fleurissante (Sep 3, 2013)

It depends.

I wouldn't eat dairy, but for everything else I check the smell and if it smells ok I'll eat it.


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## lissa1307 (Sep 11, 2013)

I don't usually have to worry about this, in my house we go through a gallon a milk every two days, sometimes in a day, same thing with bread and cheeses, eggs last a little longer( and I have used them past their date with no ill effects,just checked for freshness first)

all meats in my house are frozen and used within about 3 weeks max. things just go too fast here to even worry about dates, but I still check dates in the store and buy things that can last awhile...say if I forget about a can of tuna or something gets pushed out of sight in the pantry.

For the most part I will use it if it looks,smells, and tastes fine..

I draw the line at mold..I toss it if there is anything growing

I think a lot of mentalities have roots in how you are raised,and circumstances when you set off on your own in life.

Personally, I grew up pretty poor, I was a mom and on my own at 18, and my family taught me a lot about food safety and how longs things really last/ how to tell if it's gone bad.

When i set off on my own my husband,baby and I were doing better than either of us had growing up, but we still has a tight budget as I was a stay at home mom then. We had a couple years after our second child that were real tight. But for the most part we do pretty well now, but we still have a tight budget when it comes to things like groceries...and the way my kids eat if I didn't keep a tight grip on it they would eat us out of house and home. So I think it's important for kids to learn how to make the most of what they have. I also feel that extremes can have a negative effect, like cutting off mold can leave scarred impressions...I would probably guess a lot of kids that see that strive to never "have to" and become obsessive about dates and tossing anything close.


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## LAtPoly (Sep 11, 2013)

Ugh, this is something my husband and I disagree on...

I use expiration or "best by" dates as guidelines...I'll evaluate it and still enjoy an expired item.

But him, he disregards them altogether!  And is a food hoarder. We have plenty in our fridge that is expired by a long period...and it makes me queasy. I do occasionally sneak something to the trash, but he can get really upset if I get caught. I'm still uncertain why a three-person household needs (no joke) 14 cream cheeses, even if they went on sale after the holidays last year...


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## angie828 (Feb 16, 2014)

I try not to.  I will not eat anything that smells if it has expired.  I do not like to drink milk that is expired but they say it is good for a week after the date, so if it doesn't smell and is not chunky , then I might use it.


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## meaganola (Feb 16, 2014)

If it smells and looks fine, I'll eat/drink it.  I'm currently using milk with a sell-by date of January 22nd in my coffee.  It's right on the verge of expiring, but it will be good enough for tomorrow's coffee.  Sell-by and use-by are different things.  My brother has a similar policy, except he also has a policy of DO NOT LOOK AT EXPIRATION DATES ON CONDIMENTS.  Jams, mustard (which actually shouldn't go bad, but that's a whole separate thing), real maple syrup (if it's refrigerated after opening, it never goes bad.  If it's *not* refrigerated once it's open, I've been told it develops a toxin), ketchup, bbq sauce, pickles -- if it goes on a sandwich and is not meat or cheese, expiration dates are ignored.  Honestly, in our family, we probably only use expiration dates as a "Well, the date on this is four years ago, so if I haven't eaten it by now, I doubt I'll ever eat it" guide to tossing it.  We're *really* bad about cleaning the fridge.

After last weekend, though, I won't use baking mixes (cornbread, brownies, cake, etc.) after the expiration date.  The leavening stuff stops working after a certain amount of time, so you will end up with cornbrick rather than cornbread.  It was as dense as polenta.


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## BSquared (Feb 16, 2014)

Too paranoid for anything but eggs. I feel like with eggs you can easily tell if it's gone bad from the smell and I've eaten eggs a week or two past the sell by date with no issues. If it's questionable, I just use the water bowl test thing I see on Pinterest all the time.


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## meaganola (Feb 16, 2014)

Quote: Originally Posted by *BSquared* /img/forum/go_quote.gif

Too paranoid for anything but eggs. I feel like with eggs you can easily tell if it's gone bad from the smell and I've eaten eggs a week or two past the sell by date with no issues. If it's questionable, I just use the water bowl test thing I see on Pinterest all the time.
I hate eggs (google "megan jasper eggs" for further information.  I also agree with her about avocados.  I don't have any bad experiences with squirrels, though.  Just an entertaining one involving my brother, a bag of freshly-roasted peanuts, Stanley Park, and a pair of jeans ), so I don't know this from experience (I only buy eggs if I'm making something RIGHT THAT VERY DAY that requires them, like lemon curd or brownies), but the aforementioned brother swears that eggs are good for at least a month after the date on the carton.  I jokingly told him one time that I probably had a carton of three-week-old eggs in my fridge if he wanted them the following week.  He did.  My nephews were delighted at the resulting omelets.  I was repulsed, but not because they were old.  Because they were *eggs*.


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## beautycurator (Mar 10, 2014)

Yes. Usually if an item is past code, it is still good -- use your sight and smell. A lot of this food goes to food banks and is distributed to the poor so it is still safe to eat. I used to volunteer feeding the homeless so I know that much of the expired food we throw away is still fine to eat!

Obviously, if something is growing mold, I wouldn't recommend eating it. But oftentimes it is absolutely fine!


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## Amanda M (Mar 16, 2014)

The difference between "Best By" and "Sell By" is this - if it is past its Best By date, it's quality may have deteriorated, but it won't harm you.  If it is past its Sell By Date, it may well do so.  You'll probably be all right for abot 4 or 5 days, but after that, who knows.  As for smelling it - forget it.  You can't smell salmonella or botulism.  They just sneak up and kill you.  Really it is NOT worth the risk!


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## mchambers1941 (Apr 22, 2018)

I just can't bring myself to eat expired foods. I try my best to eat everything I purchase before the exp. date but that proves to be difficult most of the time. To prevent this from happening and wasting food I try to shop for what I will eat within a few days.


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## Heidi Zullo (Jun 19, 2018)

If it's chocolate and it's just expired for a couple of days only, I think that's fine. They say that it still has one month more allowance.


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## redstar111 (Jun 24, 2018)

Noo.. You should never do that.


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## Theresa J. Ginter (Aug 15, 2019)

It depends on how long the delay is. Products expired for 1 max 2 days I can eat. But first, smelling and tasting a little taste. ))))


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## Dankore (Oct 9, 2019)

I don't eat expired foods. It can be unhealthy. If I buy a lot of products, I freeze the leftovers. Here on this portal 
https://storageboxreviews.com/ there is a good article on how to freeze food properly and how much they can be stored and at what temperature. It helps me save money on buying new products and it's good for my health. I really advise you to learn how to choose and store quality food properly. This will help you save money and is beneficial for your health!


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## Quinn123 (Feb 24, 2020)

If it is not dairy products that have clearly deteriorated or meat. I can easily eat a lot of expired products, as my friend a food technologist said, that expired products can be eaten calmly (not all!)


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